Parking lift



D. D. STONER Feb. 18, 1958 PARKING LIFT 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 19, 1954 kill! all? ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 18, 1958 D. D. STONER PARKING LIFT Filed March 19, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOH BY wear-F60.

ATTORNEYS D. D. STONER PARKING LIFT Feb. 18, 1958 5 Shets-Sheet 3 Filed March 19, 1954 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS D. D. STONER 2,823,810

PARKING LIFT 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Feb. 18, 1958 Filed March 19, 1954 ATTORNEYS.

This invention relates to a parking lift and more parnite rates ate nt ticularly to a lifting device which may be enclosed in a building enclosure whereby cars to be parked may be easily and conveniently driven for location on the powered lift to be raised and lowered relative to other cars in the same enclosure.

it is another object of this invention to provide a parking lift of the kind to be more particularly described hereinafter to eliminate the parking problems of congested areas as downtown in a populated or overpopulated city.

it is still another object of this invention to provide a parking lift of this kind whereby a plurality of vehicles may be easily parked one above the other in a restricted area and the parked cars may be just as easily retrieved from being parked without the necessity of unnecessarily moving cars parked overhead or underneath before the desired car can be moved from the lift.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a parking lift of this kind which may be easily and readily attended to by only a few attendants, the initial structure of the parking lift being economical in cost to provide for desirable low parking rates for parking at or near to an ofiice, store or other busy location desired to be attended by a driver of a car to be parked.

Other and further objects and advantages of the in vention will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view, partly broken away, of a parking lift constructed according to an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the locking means for the tubes and supporting tubes of my invention taken on the line 33 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of all of the locking and latching means for'all of the supporting tubes in my invention.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the latching means for the upper supporting tubes.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation, partly broken away, of the latching means for the upper supporting tubes with one of the latches disengaged from its respective upper supporting tube.

Fig. 7 is a transverse section taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the latching means for the upper supporting tubes in their respective engaged positions.

Fig. 9 is a transverse section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section, partly broken away, of a supporting post and telescopic supporting tubes therein and taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 3. V

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section, partly broken away, of the lower auxiliary supporting tubes.

ice

Fig. 12 is a transverse section taken on the line 12-12 of Fig. ll.

Referring particularly to the drawings the numeral 15 designates generally a parking lift constructed according to an embodiment of my invention.

Parking lifts are ordinarily desirable in downtown heavily congested areas for parking a great number of cars without the necessity of the use of street parking space. Ordinarily in larger cities there is insufficient street parking space for a great number of cars and it is necessary for the drivers of the cars to park their car a distance away from the place near where they wish to park, as an office, a show, a store or other place.

The parking lift 15 is to be disposed within a building such as a garage or the like, on a base 16 which has a floor 17 therein. The base 16 with floor 17 is particularly adapted for construction in the ground so that the cars to be parked may come in at a ground level and some of the cars raised above the ground level and other cars to be parked, lowered below the level of the ground.

Upwardly extending tubular posts 20 are secured to the base 16 and located in spaced apart relation to each other both transversely of and longitudinally of the base.

A loading platform 21 is adapted to be seated on the upper end of the posts 20.

The loading platform 21 is particularly adapted to be located at a ground level onto which the automobile to be parked may be easily driven under its own power.

There is located in each of the posts 20 an outer lower tube 22, the tube 22 having a longitudinally extending slot 22a therein for the purposes to be more particularly described hereinafter. The lower tube 22 is fixed to and supports the loading platform 21 as clearly shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings and this tube raises and lowers the loading platform 21 during the use of the parking lift.

A nut member 24 is located and secured to the lower end of the lower tube 22 for threadably engaging the outer surface of a vertically extending screw 25 which extends vertically through the floor 17.

A bevel gear 26 is fixed to the extreme lower end of the screw 25 and meshes with another bevel gear 27 on a driving shaft 28 so that the screw 25 may be rotated in either direction.

The tube 22 with nut 24 is adapted to seat on the floor 17 at its lower end in the lowered position of the loading platform 21.

The auxiliary tubes 29 and 30 are slidably engaged with each other and there is provided an oscillatable rod 23 which depends from the loading platform 21 and is oscillatable in both of the auxiliary lower supporting tubes 29 and Sir. Each rod 23 has mounted thereon a stop 46, Fig. 11, shown as a collar with set screw and placed under and in contact with platform 21. This stop 46 assures that the rod 23 and platform 21 will move up and down together.

A first lower platform 31 is fixedly secured to the upper end of the inner tubes 29 while the lower end of the outer tubes 30 is fixed to the horizontal base floor engaging platform 32 below the first platform 31 and below the loading platform 21.

The tube 29 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 34 therein while the tube 30 has a longitudinally extending slot 35 which is in registry with the slot 34.

The extreme lower ends of the telescoping tubes 29 and 30 are provided with notches 3d and 37, the notch 36 being in the extreme lower end of the tube 30 and the notch 37 being in the extreme lower end of the tube- 29 both of the notches being in communication with the slotsv in their respective tubes. The slots and recesses are provided for the movement and engagement of a pin 33 on the lower end of the rod 23. The recesses 36 and.

37are disposed 'in'and'extend outwardly on opposite sides'of '"the slots 34-'and*35 -so' that the pin '38- may be engaged in either one of th8.*l'6C6SS6S depending upon the rotation, by. anv operator, of the rod 23. When pin 38 engages'recess '37 and" platform 3'1,onlythetube'f29=will be raised with ,the loading platform 21 and when pinl38 engagesdnirecess 37 ,both ofi'the tubes 29' and30and thelower platformsfil' and"32"will be raised-together with the raising of the iloading platformil.

A' first "upper tube"40'. .isremovably seated on" the nut 24 and "ordinafilywilbbe i disposed '"Within' the 1 post 20 inthelowered position or the main loading platform 21. Ahorizontal"intermediate platform? is secured to the upper; end -or the firstupper=tube40 so=that' whenthe loading'platformfllf is positioned for loading theintermediate upperj platform 41' will also be, lowered on the v posts 2t).so" that'anautomobile imayibedriven onto the intermediate upper loading platform '41'above the main loadingplatform".2.1.

Asecond upper supporting tube'42 is positioned within the upper tube 4ti'having aho'rizontal second'platform 44 fixed to'i'the, extreme upper end thereof. Bothfithe platformsal and '44iare moved. together 'with' the main loading platform. 21 'when the. tube 22 is raised forilifting the main 'platform'i'21.

Arms 45 are pivotally' supported on the underside of the'main loading'pla'tform 21.arld-each ofthe'arms 45 is connected"atitscuter-end to a rod 23 toi'turn it and pin 38m select.the lower platforms. for vertical movement with-themainloading platformZll. Operating lever 46 is'connectedto'one 'of"'the ro'd rotating arms '45 so thattheirods 23 may be turned in" unison upon movement of the rod armsij45.

;Aconnectingarrn47 is connected between'ithe'arms 45 belowthe'loading 'pla'tform"'21so thatlall of the rod rotating arms "45 may beiactuate'd uponactuation of the operating lever "46.

'A bearing'jplate"'48f is secured to the extreme upper end of each of the posts .124") extending "laterally outwardly therefrom.

Twohorizontally'fdisposed shafts49 and 53,.are journaled in bearing plates '43. on each of two opposed long sides of the parking lift. .Each shaft connect's at an end, tothe'right, as seeninFig. 3, with an interconnecting lever arm 55. The .free ends of levers '55-.on'shaft 49, are slidably and 'pivotally connected. Thefreej ends .of levers 55 on shaft 53 are similarly connected.

' Each'shaft 53 has 'fixedto it at each post 255, an in- Wardly extending latch'arm 52, the end section .of which, is turned parallel to shaft 53,.closely adjacent'to, but spacedfrom post 20, when the latch .arm 52. is horizontal. The weight of latchLarm 52 and lever '55 .on' the endof shaft '53 causes shaft 53 to turn, sothat; latch arm 52 drops'to'the'inclined position seen .in Fig.8, withthe end section bearing againstpostZt).

"Tube 42 at itslower end has a projecting support lug 54 as seen inEigs; 3, 4, 6, 7;8 and9 with an upper inclined surface. As'platfo1'1n' 44, supportedby tube 42 is raised to maximum elevationby drive screw 25 acting on tube '22, the .suPDOrt lug 54pushes latch arm 52 up to horizontal position. With. its .end ,sectionthen free or the -lug*54, latcharm'SZ then againdrops to inclined position. The drive'screw 25 is stopped and reversed. The lug 54 moves down to seat onthe end section'of latch arm "52.

"Each 1 shaft 49 in" exactly thesame manner, is involved to hold platform-41 in "its elevated parking position. Here, the elements are latch arm 59, tube All, support lug 51, drive screw 25 acting'on'tube '22.

- Upstanding levers 57 --and"59 are attached to the "free ends-o'f-shafts49 and 53 respectively, Fig.4, to unlatch lugs 52- and- 54, -When desired.

' A -motor '60 below floor 17 turns one drive shaft 28 which is connected-wi'th gears and chain-58 to drive the other drive-shaft 28. Bevel gears 27, -mounted on shafts 28, in turnengage bevel gears 26 to drive screws 25,

' all =in'awell" known manner.

In the operation of this device, at the start the assembly will be in a lower collapsed position, which is the position shown in Fig. 5. Operator 46 is moved to swing levers to rotate tube 23 and dispose pin in notch 36 of tube 30. Rotation of the screw shafts 25 will raise the entire assembly of platforms so as to dispose platform 32 at ground level. I

When a vehicle is driven onto platform 32 the shafts 25' are rextcrsedcso as to-lower-the. assembly until platform 31,is at ground level. ,The assembly is then loweredagain so as'to disposeplatform'fal below ground level. The latchmernb'ers .52 and-54 being released as previously described, tube 42 may be raised and upper platform 44 raised therewith. When platform 44 is loaded and raised platform 41 may be loaded. Latch members and 51 are now also releasedso thatplatform "41 may be raised"with"platform 44 "moving i upwardly therewith.

At thistime'pla'tforjm' 21 will be at ground level and platform 21' may be loaded. Theunloaldingis"performed in'-a-'reverse"manner,' that 'is,platforms 21,41 and 44 are unloaded and then platforms 31 and 32 are unloaded.

Use {and operation w-hen the liftis' emptygplatforms 4-4'and-"41 rest fiat on 21-as -seen inFig. 2. T-o -load-the lift, platform 21 is raisedtmmaxim-um elevatiomvrhic'h bringsplatform 32 -upto thevgrou n'd. level. Platform 21 isthen'lowered until platform 3l'is level'with-the ground. Acar is placed on 31 then platformql "is fu'rther lowered until it is level with the ground. -Operating lever 46 is then used -todisconnect platforms 152 and 31 from rods 23. An auto is now placedo'n platform 4-4 and raised to maximum elevationby use of platfornrZl tube 22. Platform- 44 ismowsec-ured in this positionfin'thei'mantier-heretofore described. -Ilatform- 41 is now lowered with p'latform '21--to-'ground' level. After an auto is placed onplatformM-Ll; it is likewise raised to maximum elevation, secured there, and platform 21 is figfllilldlbPPd to ground level.

If platform 211s usedtojac'com'modate ap'ar ke'd car, itmust first be freed before i it can be utilized to empty the parking lift. The parking lift is emptied in the reverse order in which it is filled.

Whilethe-specific details of one embodiment'of this invention have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto as changes'and alterations may be made without-departing from thespirit and scope thereo f asde fined in the] appended claims.

*I claim:

1. In a building having a ground level and'a basement, a vehicle parkingflift comprising aground level platform, alcwerpiatform, an'intermediate lower plat- .form, lower tubular members extending between said lowerand-intermediate lower platforms, lower intermediate tubular members secured to saidground level plattubular members extending "betweengsaid "lower andgintcrmediate lower 'platformsy lower intermediate tubular members secured to'said -groundlevel'plat'fdrm and telescoping into said lower tubular members, upper tubular members depending from said ground level platform, intermediate upper tubular members telescoping over said upper tubular members, means including said first mentioned telescoping members for lowering or raising said lower and lower intermediate platforms, means including said second mentioned telescoping members for raising or lowering said ground level and lower intermediate platforms, lugs carried by said upper and intermediate upper tubular members, and releasable means engageable with said lugs for holding the upper platforms in elevated position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Thomas et a1. Mar. 2, 1875 Hawthorn Jan. 20, 1914 Smith May 20, 1919 Murray May 26, 1925 Flannery Nov. 18, 1930 Ziebarth Apr. 5, 1932 Gibson Oct. 11, 1932 Light May 20, 1941 Nash et al. Feb. 10, 1953 Wilson Sept. 13, 1955 

